Death's Unavoidable Let's Have a Drink
by RosefaerietaleRed
Summary: After a shootout, Vash and the gang go to the next town, drink, and get philosophical.


Death's Unavoidable; Let's have a Drink[1]  
Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun or any of the characters.  
On the planet, Gunsmoke, the sky is always a bright blue. The landscape is calm and peaceful, until gunshots fill the air.  
"What the hell, Vash, we go to a town and always end up getting shot at!" Wolfwood yelled to his red-coated companion.  
"I can't help it!" screeched Vash. "Someone's always out to get me!"  
The two men took cover behind some boulders. The bullets were flying. They had been run out of town by a group of gunmen who were after the 60,000,000,000 double dollar bounty on Vash's head.  
One of the gunmen shouted, "Hey preacher! Turn Vash the Stampede over to us, and we'll let you go!"  
"Over my dead body!" Wolfwood called back. Vash's eyes begin to swell with tears, Wolfwood sighed, "Not now, Tongari, get yourself together!" Vash nodded.  
The gunman replied with the cliché, "That can be arranged, preacher."  
Wolfwood shoots one of their pursuers in the arm, careful not to kill the man. He knows how Vash feels about killing people. He than shoots another gunman in the leg. "We're getting nowhere," he mutters, and than he takes out the Cross Punisher. He stands up, points it at the gunmen. The gunmen stop and stared. It was unnerving to see a religious symbol used as a weapon like that. Wolfwood smiled.  
"If you want to see what this thing can do, than please, stay."  
With that, the gunmen took their wounded companions and ran. Wolfwood takes out a limp cigarette and lights it.  
Vash sighed in relief, "Thanks for not killing them, Wolfwood."  
Wolfwood was about to reply when they heard two familiar voices.  
"Mr. Vash, Mr. Priest, are you guys alright?" Milly sang out.  
"Vash, if you caused any damage." Meryl threatened.  
"Oh, hi girls," Vash smiled weakly.  
"Don't worry," Wolfwood assured Meryl, "just a few men got wounded, the town didn't get damaged or anything." He flicked the cigarette away.  
" Well, that's a relief," Meryl huffed.  
"Meryl was worried about you, Mr. Vash," said Milly.  
"I was not!" snapped Meryl, indignantly.  
"Are you alright, Mr. Priest?" Milly turned to Wolfwood, concerned.  
"I'm fine," he replied, taking yet another cigarette out. "Uh, let's got to the next town, I could use a drink." He lights up the cigarette.  
"Me too!" Vash piped up.  
With that, the four set off for the next town called Deliverance. It was almost nightfall when the group arrived and Deliverance seemed a peaceful enough town. They decided it was best if the girls go the rooms, while Vash and Wolfwood waited outside.  
Milly came out for them, "Alright guys, we have the rooms!"  
"Did you get the alcohol?" Wolfwood and Vash asked in unison.  
"Sure did!" Milly held up a bag, her smile disarmingly charming. " I went to the saloon next door. The bartender gave me half off the price. He was so kind to have invited me back to his place, but I had to turn down the invitation."  
Wolfwood frowned. Then Meryl came out to see what was holding them up.  
"Come on guys," she said crossly. For once, Meryl wanted to drink away her frustrations: Vash, her insurance company, Vash, all that travelling, and, of course, Vash.  
When the girls settled in their room, they went across to the guys' room. There they found Wolfwood setting up the glasses and alcohol on the table while Vash stared out the window at the three moons.  
"Come on in, ladies," Wolfwood said brightly as Vash turned to look at them.  
They all sat down and Vash said, "Let's have a toast."  
"Here's to not having our butts blown off yet," said Meryl.  
They all laughed.  
"Here's to friends always being there for one another," said Vash quietly.  
They all nodded and silently held their glasses up.  
"And," Vash added, " Let's toast to.LOVE AND PEACE!"  
"You and your philosophy, Vash," Wolfwood sighed, shaking his head.  
"What? It's better to have a philosophy where it's okay to cause pain and death?"  
Wolfwood shrugged, "Vash, death's unavoidable; let's have a drink."  
Meryl spoke up, "Yes, please, let's have another shot."  
Vash stared at Wolfwood for a moment, than shook his head. "That's a bleak way of looking at things, Nicholas. Here, give me another shot, too." Vash handed his glass over to Wolfwood.  
Wolfwood just smiled.  
Soon, the companions began to feel pretty good. Milly giggled as Meryl slurred to Wolfwood to give her another drink.  
Wolfwood lit his umpteenth cigarette. Milly had lost count after ten. She took the cancer stick out of his mouth. She said, " You say death's unavoidable, but why hasten it?" She then tossed the cigarette into a conveniently placed trash can.  
Everyone at the table stared at her. Milly began to giggle uncontrollably.  
Wolfwood sighed and took out, yet, another cigarette.  
"She's right, you know," Vash said quietly. "You have taken lives quickly and you're doing the same thing to your own life."  
"So do you, Vash the Stampede," Wolfwood replied. "I mean your life that is."  
"I highly disapprove of suicide, I told you that."  
"He didn't mean that, Vash, " Meryl murmured. The three looked at her in surprise. Meryl hadn't said much. She continued, "He means that you don't want to hurt others. Yet they want to hurt you. And they do hurt you; you have the scars to prove it. One day, I fear that those beliefs of yours will get you killed."  
Vash stared at his drink. He wasn't sure want to say.  
As he continued to stare at his drink, Vash began, "I know that one day it might kill me. If it does, then so be it. But I cannot bring myself to kill to others, even if it's in self-defense."  
"Is that your philosophy or someone else's?" asked Wolfwood.  
Vash is startled. He didn't tell Wolfwood or the girls about Rem  
"We all get our philosophies and beliefs from someone else, and they learned it from someone else. All we do is make it our own." Vash, Wolfwood and Meryl turned to stare at Milly. She looked unusually thoughtful and wise beyond her years. Than she began to giggled uncontrollably. Soon they all were laughing. They continued to drink late into the night and one by one, each fell asleep at his/her own chairs.  
The next day, predictably, Vash was discovered and a gun battle ensued. Wolfwood and Vash were able to take down all the gunmen without killing anyone. Meryl typed up her report, marveling at the fact that this is the second town, Vash had not indirectly destroyed.  
As the four companions set off for another town and another night of drinking, Vash complains, "Why can't everyone just live in love and peace?"  
  
----------------------- [1] Death's unavoidable; Let's have a drink is a quote by Seneca the Elder, from controversiae, 11, 6, 3. 


End file.
